Arabic Game Localization: The Case of Cyberpunk 2077

Abstract

Previous studies on gaming localization displayed many issues and difficulties that could arise in its process. Yet, Arabic game localization—despite the significant percentage of Arab-speaking gamers—still lacks in research compared to other languages, prompting this study’s attempt to gain more information on its difficulties. The study thus achieved through a methodology of conducting a detailed examination of an Arabic localized role-playing game titled Cyberpunk 2077, followed by a questionnaire sent to the game’s localizers to confirm, elaborate on, and expand the findings. The game was examined through gameplay with linguistic quality assurance—a testing process performed by localizers to revise their work—as its framework that found at least 500 errors, be it specific to Arabic or could be related to localization in general. These findings influenced the localizers’ questionnaire where they confirmed many difficulties such as lacking audiovisual context—even producing audiovisual untranslatability—and linguistic/technical testing of the game. Thus, this study developed the following solutions based on localizers’ input: developers should provide more references for what is happening in the game; more quality assurance considerations for the localizers, such as giving their process adequate time; and a more active testing environment through gameplay to check and ensure their work.